'It will give Ranbir the chance to do what his other films may not. It's a very challenging role and since he plays a political figure I've to make sure the scripting supports him completely, ' Jha told.
'I earlier planned to make a quickie before starting 'Rajneeti'. But now I'm going straight into 'Rajneeti', ' he added.
Jha's film will combine elements from Rajiv Gandhi's life with the 'Mahabharata'. With the exception of one day's shooting in the US, Jha plans to shoot 'Rajneeti' entirely in Bhopal.
The film will feature Ranbir as a student from an Indian political dynasty studying in the US who's summoned back to take over the political empire in Delhi after a crisis in the family.
'Ranbir will have two co-stars. An Indian and an American actress. We've almost finalized both the ladies, A-listers from Hollywood and Bollywood.'
Jha's earlier releases like 'Apaharan' and 'GangaaJal' too had heavy doses of politics.